Personalized message added to a test score report¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 2 studies (2 causal), q1–q3 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A behavioral-science-informed intervention in which a personalized message about a student's potential to succeed in Advanced Placement coursework is added to a test score report. The brief describes it as "a personalized message added to a test score report" that increased student participation in AP, with recipients 49 percentage points more likely to participate among surveyed students.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Personalization to the individual student's potential
• Combination with an effort to call attention to the message for effectiveness

Constraints¶

• Effectiveness observed among surveyed students in this study; the brief notes it might only work when attention is drawn to the messages

Target Learners¶

• high school students

Target Learning Goals¶

• encouraging participation in AP coursework and exams

Claims¶

• Students who received the personalized AP message were more likely to take an AP exam and passed a higher number of exams, making them eligible for college credit [+W]
• Students who received a personalized message about their potential to succeed in AP coursework were 49 percentage points more likely to participate in AP classes than peers who did not receive the message [+W]
• Small changes in the way information is presented can have a large impact on a person's decision to participate in a program [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• Pair personalized messages with an effort to call attention to them
• Deliver salient, personalized ability signals to encourage educational investments

Key Sources¶

• Naihobe Gonzalez. (2017). Small Changes Make a Big Difference: How Behavioral Science Improved Participation in Advanced Placement (Issue Brief). Oakland, CA: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/small-changes-make-a-big-difference-how-behavioral-science-improved-participation-in-advanced